1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with composites comprising a mixture of one or more asphaltenes with a polymer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nano-composites based on nano-fillers are highly desirable because they can possess unique and/or unusual properties not otherwise easily obtainable. Unfortunately, many nano-fillers are very expensive, making nano-composites formed from them likewise expensive.
Asphalt is a crude and inexpensive material, and is a by-product of petroleum relining. It's low in cost, and has been used for extremely high volume applications, the most important of which is road construction. Asphaltenes are a distinct chemical component of asphalt, which can be isolated based on solubility by solvent extraction and other methods. In general, asphaltenes are large, planar, aromatic, hetero-atom containing compounds that lend themselves to pi-pi stacking.